False Prophets
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 2:1-3)
This is a sobering passage, indeed! Unfortunately, many Christians are completely naive about the ways of the evil one. Because they think he will not invade the church of God, they listen without a filter to numerous off-the-wall belief systems. Sadly, many people swallow “hook, line and sinker” the theological heresies which are shouted from the pulpits by those who have a profit motive in mind; they seek profit for their ego and their pocketbook. Keep your eyes open!
It was true in the early church, and it applies today. False teachers are all around us. Who is a false teacher? Anyone who teaches something which is not true is the simple answer. However, to uncover the falsehood, you must be astute enough in the Word of God to see it when you hear it or read it. This is a real problem today. Why do good people, who should know better, choose to believe false teachers?
Besides not being a student of the Word of God, many people allow their friendships to dictate their belief systems. In other words, we are very susceptible to believing what our friends say, over what the Bible teaches. When our relationships with others are more important to us than the truth, we excuse the errors in order to maintain a place in “the family.”
The Bible teaches us that we should not only be discerning, but we should also evaluate what we hear and read. This is a key thought: “Look for the Word of God to validate your experience, rather than relying on your experience to validate what you want to believe.” Keep your eyes open!
This is a sobering passage, indeed! Unfortunately, many Christians are completely naive about the ways of the evil one. Because they think he will not invade the church of God, they listen without a filter to numerous off-the-wall belief systems. Sadly, many people swallow “hook, line and sinker” the theological heresies which are shouted from the pulpits by those who have a profit motive in mind; they seek profit for their ego and their pocketbook. Keep your eyes open!
It was true in the early church, and it applies today. False teachers are all around us. Who is a false teacher? Anyone who teaches something which is not true is the simple answer. However, to uncover the falsehood, you must be astute enough in the Word of God to see it when you hear it or read it. This is a real problem today. Why do good people, who should know better, choose to believe false teachers?
Besides not being a student of the Word of God, many people allow their friendships to dictate their belief systems. In other words, we are very susceptible to believing what our friends say, over what the Bible teaches. When our relationships with others are more important to us than the truth, we excuse the errors in order to maintain a place in “the family.”
The Bible teaches us that we should not only be discerning, but we should also evaluate what we hear and read. This is a key thought: “Look for the Word of God to validate your experience, rather than relying on your experience to validate what you want to believe.” Keep your eyes open!
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3 Comments
What a great message, it is so tangible around here in the Dom. Rep. Assurance of Salvation, Baptism, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Remarry and some others are teaching very different from what the Bible teaches.
Thank you Pastor Dodd.
I have people around me that do chemical drugs and tell me I need to find peace. I have the peace of Jesus Christ and they don't. They don't see that Jesus would be of any help to them. They always have a crowd of unbelievers around them. Or baby Christians that think what they say makes sense.
Thank You Dr. Dodd , PRAISE JESUS ! I Believe in The WORD.